Electric Bicycle and Rack Question

[yakers]

DW & I are contemplating getting electric bikes. Have looked at a bunch of them, saw MANY in Europe and countless ones on the web. Trying to keep the cost down ($1,500?)but will pay more if necessary, not looking for foldable, any suggestions?

And people with electric bikes, how do you carry them? Looking to get a bike rack that will fit on the trailer hitch of my Jeep. Saw a Thule @250 that will take 4 bikes and flips down to access the rear of the Jeep when necessary. We will only have 2 bikes and it is rated for 185 lbs so that is easily covered. Since are also contemplating getting electric bikes and they range in weight from 50 to 65 lbs. The rack salesman said not to put them on a bicycle rack, wants to sell a $800 roll on rack specifically for electric bikes. Great conveniet idea but don't like the price and size. It can't be that hard to put an electric bike on a bike rack.

 

[braumeister]

Have you seen this thread from last year? It might get you started.

E Bikes

 

[Philliefan33]

E-bikes are heavy. Last fall I staffed a bike train / shuttle (ride on an old-time train one way, pedal back). We had half a dozen or so e-bikes and they required a two-person lift to get them on/off the train.

Granted, the deck of the train car is higher than you would have to lift a bike to put it on a bike rack, but these were young men in their teens or twenties who needed two of them to do it safely. I think it will be a two-person lift to put an embije on a traditional bike rack that hangs the bike by the frame.

If I were investing in e-bikes and planned to carry them places, I would also buy a rack that secures the tires on a platform. It would be much easier to load.

 

[skyking1]

you can get/build a bike for less than 50 pounds. I intend to keep the weight down for both the loading and the no-battery pedaling.

 

[yakers]

Have you seen this thread from last year? It might get you started.

E Bikes

Thank you, I did a bunch of searches on electric bicycle and got nothing and I remembered it had been discussed, didn't try e-bike

 

[freedomatlast]

My wife and I both have e-bikes and I bought the Thule EasyFold XT 903202. This is made especially for e-bikes. It isn't cheap, but it locks to the receiver and locks the bikes to the rack as well, folds up and rolls for easy storage, well built and even has a loading ramp so you don't have to lift the e-bike onto the rack. Works on both of the 2 most common size receivers. I highly recommend it.

 

[Ronstar]

I have a specialized como 3 and just ordered one for DW. And ordered this rack for 2 ebikes as recommended by bike dealer.

https://www.outdoorplay.com/yakima-...UNabAJYC1DwBHn-6FbsGTXDo_l1JQPBeRoCZl0QAvD_Bw

 

[Philliefan33]

you can get/build a bike for less than 50 pounds. I intend to keep the weight down for both the loading and the no-battery pedaling.

Probably not at the <$1500 price point

 

[MillCreek]

I have a Tern HSD S8i, and I carry it on a Yakima HoldUp tray hitch rack in a two inch receiver. No problems.

 

[ransil]

We bought Rize eBikes last year leisure models , I had a Thule carrier but it would not secure the fat tires that great,sold it and got a 1up-usa.com carrier, not cheap but scattering ebikes down the road is not cheap, at the time the Rize was the best bang for the buck.

 

[cbo111]

We bought two Ride1Up bikes a few months ago and they fit perfectly on our hitch-mounted Saris rack. The rack is rated for two bikes at 60lbs each. Our bikes are 48lbs with the battery removed, so transport is not a problem.

 

[Lewis Clark]

You will probably need a rack where the bikes are supported by the tires and not hanging from the frame. Make sure the rack you get is rated for the weight of the bikes.

 

[aaronc879]

Unless I have been looking in the wrong place there is not much out there for <$1500 e-bikes. The bikes I would consider are all in the $3-4K range.

 

[Earl E Retyre]

We bought a Kuat bike rack for our e-bikes. See https://www.kuat.com/product/nv-2-0/

I think we paid about $500 for the rack a few years ago.

 

[savory]

We bought two Ride1Up bikes a few months ago and they fit perfectly on our hitch-mounted Saris rack. The rack is rated for two bikes at 60lbs each. Our bikes are 48lbs with the battery removed, so transport is not a problem.

I have used Saris racks for years but not there ebike one. I like the company and how they support cycling. I would definitely check them out and I was glad to see a positive comment on the thread.

 

[Badger]

Then there is this: https://ridekick.com/shop/e-bike-conversion-kit-options/



Cheers!

 

[skyking1]

I did a bunch of research on both purpose-built and kits in 2018. I was riding every day to work, after riding the train up to Seattle. It was fun research but I really did not want the E-help. I was in better shape than ever before in my life at 57. i also had to lug my bike up 3 flights of stairs at King Street station and the extra weight would be onerous.
Now I look at it for DW.
This company in Vancouver has been at it since the beginning of kits.
https://ebikes.ca/shop.html
It is one of the best rabbit holes to fall down on the web.
They have very detailed descriptions of all the components, the pros and cons. They also have a really fantastic performance calculators.
You can plug in a motor and battery combo and see how it works.
https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html
You can build typical trip and see if the combo works well, and if it is going to overheat.
https://ebikes.ca/tools/trip-simulator.html

I find granular detailed information like this far more valuable than a 4 star rating with a 3 word review.

 

[GTFan]

Unless I have been looking in the wrong place there is not much out there for <$1500 e-bikes. The bikes I would consider are all in the $3-4K range.

https://electrek.co/2020/11/20/radm...ad-power-bikes-most-affordable-electric-bike/
https://electrek.co/2021/04/01/i-to...-electric-bike-off-roading-heres-how-it-went/

$1099, go anywhere kind of bike. Only extra the reviewer recommended was a cheap suspension for the seat to replace the fixed mount. This is the type of bike I'd look for, not a cheapy Amazon China special but not an extravagance.

 

[skyking1]

https://electrek.co/2020/11/20/radm...ad-power-bikes-most-affordable-electric-bike/
https://electrek.co/2021/04/01/i-to...-electric-bike-off-roading-heres-how-it-went/

$1099, go anywhere kind of bike. Only extra the reviewer recommended was a cheap suspension for the seat to replace the fixed mount. This is the type of bike I'd look for, not a cheapy Amazon China special but not an extravagance.

Nice and under 50 pounds. That would hang two at a time from a conventional 4 bike rack. Thanks!

 

[nphx]

Timely thread - i just bought two fat tire radrover bikes @ 69 lbs each. That's way over the limit of the carriers I see on line. No big deal I thought I would fabricate one myself (with help of a local welder) .. but then researched and found my Model X tongue weight max is 175lbs... but for my F250 that's fine .. if you search for dirtbike carriers their pricing is lower (like from https://www.titanramps.com/) but you need the right hitch weight distribution setup. Good idea on removing the batteries - but I see that trims only 8 lbs each in my case.

 

[Sunnymar]

Make sure you get a big enough battery that is usually the downfall of lowpriced bikes. You want a minimum of 50 miles range, 100 if you are light weight and cycle in warm weather.
You can usually get a conversion kit to add to a good hybrid, You will have a better speed, longer range on a better quality bike.

 

[bloom2708]

Up the budget and buy 2 Brompton Electric.

https://us.brompton.com/bikes/brompton-electric

If I ever get an e-bike it will be a Brompton E.

One problem. Supply is very low. Demand outstrips supply.

 

[Sunnymar]

Up the budget and buy 2 Brompton Electric.

https://us.brompton.com/bikes/brompton-electric

If I ever get an e-bike it will be a Brompton E.

One problem. Supply is very low. Demand outstrips supply.

I wouldn't want a folding bike for everyday. I actually never want one except if I needed one to fold and carry with me.

 

[bloom2708]

I wouldn't want a folding bike for everyday. I actually never want one except if I needed one to fold and carry with me.

That is fine. Most have never ridden one. Hard to compare.

A 70 pound e-bike for normal cruising around is like wearing 20lb ankle weights for walking around. It works, but.

I have 4 bikes and the Brompton is the best for just riding. Nimble, sturdy, versatile. No bike rack needed. Fits in the trunk or back seat of any car.

Good luck on your search. Probably Rad Power Bikes is your best place to start in the under $1,500 range.

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/

 

[ransil]

That is fine. Most have never ridden one. Hard to compare.

A 70 pound e-bike for normal cruising around is like wearing 20lb ankle weights for walking around. It works, but.

Good luck on your search. Probably Rad Power Bikes is your best place to start in the under $1,500 range.

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/

A 70lb Ebike is not an issue as long as the "E" is working.

Rad does a lot of advertising, there are many that are out there in the same price point as Rad, some with better specs i.e. hydrulic brakes, bigger batteries, accessories standard, pretty sure most come out of the same chineese factory.